Kristen Karon
Owner/Instructor
Kristen began dancing at the age of 3 and has never stopped. Taking classes in numerous techniques such as tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, kick-line, and contemporary. She performed with the highly regarded Minnetonka Dance Team on both the performance and competitive teams. Her love of dance never wavered as she continued her education at Winona State where she was an instructor at Gotta Dance while earning her BA in K-12 Physical Education. Kristen worked as a Physical Education teacher and building substitute in the Edina School district for 5 years but now focuses all her time on the studio and her family. She loves taking on new challenges such as choreographing first dances for wedding couples or coordinating production numbers with 60+ students. Her choreography has earned many accolades at dance competitions in jazz, contemporary and hip hop. Kristen loves spending time outdoors, snuggling with her dog Wrigley and going to the cabin with her husband Ismail and her sons Tyson and Kato.
Melissa (Missy) Hemmeke
Tap Director/Instructor
Miss Missy has been a well known dance teacher throughout the Twin Cities area for the past 20 years. Her endless amounts of energy and passion for dance benefit all her dancers, from her 2 year old's all the way to her highly successful adult tap dancers. Currently, she is the Dance Program Director for all Step-by-Step and Peaceful Valley Montessori school's located throughout the metro area. Miss Missy's joy for her dancers, patience and care is apparent as she has been building this program over the last 18 years! Prior to teaching in Minnesota, Miss Missy has taught in Los Angeles and San Francisco, choreographing and coaching dance competition teams for 8 years. She has also provided choreography for musicals, Liturgical dances, Ms Fitness USA competitors and musicians in the Los Angeles area. Miss Missy has instructed all types of dance including tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, pointe and high-kick, but her favorite is tap. When she is not teaching, Miss Missy enjoys spending time with her husband, children and four cats.
Alexa Reinkall
Instructor
Alexa began teaching at a young age taking classes in all styles and techniques. She began her career as a dance instructor at the age of 19 and was a teacher at DreamDance Academy teaching both competition and recreational classes to dancers ages 3 through 18 years old. Her favorite styles to teach are lyrical/contemporary and hip hop, but she is versed in tap, jazz and ballet. In her 5 years at DDA, Alexa’s work received several awards at competitions including ‘Unique Style and Choreography’, ‘Fly Style’, Large Group 1st overall for contemporary, and multiple platinum and top 3 placements. Alexa used to love being a student but has grown to love teaching and choreographing even more.
A note from Alexa: “I enjoy getting to be creative and to see how every individual can move and create different shapes that others may or may not be able to do. I also love that ‘aha’ moment that students have when they receive a correction or learn a new concept. Overall, I think I just love the connections I can make, I like being able to connect with music and movement and I like the fact that I get to work with people who feel the same way I do".”
Mary Pivec
Instructor
Mary Pivec has served the Twin Cities dance community for over 20 years as a performer, instructor, choreographer, and administrator. Mary has been dancing since she was 4, and trained at Hopkins Dance Center under the late Leslie Daly. Under Leslie’a tutelage, Mary developed a keen eye for technique and an appreciation for thoughtful technical execution across all genres of dance.
Though Leslie’s impact is undeniable in Mary’s dance journey, her initial love of dance and performing arts was influenced by her grandma, Pat Pivec, who was a vaudeville-era performer and tap dancer. Despite her deep understanding of, and appreciation for, ballet technique, Mary’s favorite genre of dance is Tap!
Mary’s choreography has been described as classic, clean, age-appropriate, and precise, and with an extensive list of choreographic accolades to her name, she has proven that well-executed, technical dancing is still appreciated in today’s fast-paced, social-media driven world! With continued training at national conventions, including The Dance Life Teacher’s Conference and The Dance Teacher Summit, Mary loves bringing fresh ideas to her students and colleagues.
When not in the studio or at her daytime job, Mary enjoys spending time with her kids, Frankie and Casen, and her five nieces and nephews. Family is a huge part of Mary’s life, and she is excited to be part of the IDS Family!
Kirby Crow
Instructor
Kirby studied different dance genres throughout her childhood including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and lyrical. However, it wasn’t until Kirby took a hip hop class that her relationship with dance became more than just a hobby; rather a therapeutic outlet for her to build her self-esteem and be her authentic self. Now, Kirby enjoys exploring new styles (such as krump, heels, voguing, litefeet, etc.) and incorporating these styles into her choreography. In her classes, Kirby loves breaking down the theoretical concepts of dance, such as movement quality, to enhance dancer IQ and development. In addition, Kirby stresses storytelling, expressiveness, and strength training in her classes. Outside of Inspire, Kirby enjoys taking drop-in classes (dance of course), listening to music, and spending time with family members/pets.
Jaydan Kaehler
Instructor
Originally from Winona, Minnesota, Jaydan grew up dancing in competitive dance studios, training in various styles of dance at Gotta Dance and SG Danceworkz. Jaydan started assisting classes when she was 13 and began teaching her own classes when she was 16. Graduating Summa Cum Laude, she holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in dance from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Jaydan is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and also holds a SugarFoot Therapy certification. She is passionate about teaching dancers injury prevention and techniques for longevity. Aside from teaching, Jaydan’s choreography has won multiple awards at competitions from judges awards and choreography awards, to top placement awards. Her favorite styles of dance are tap and contemporary, although Jaydan loves to choreograph jazz, lyrical, and contemporary routines.
A fun fact about me, Miss Kristen was one of my teachers when she was in college!
Hudson Alday
Instructor
Hudson has been dancing since she was 3. A junior in High school this year, Hudson will be taking as many styles as possible as well as compete for our competition teams and as a soloist. For the past three year she has assisted teaching in the combo classes for our youngest dancers. This year Hudson will be taking care of our 3 and 4 year old dancers! Her kind and patient demeanor and her overall love for dance and children provides the perfect combination for our littlest dancers.
Rachel Holmes
Instructor
Rachel is originally from Milwaukee, WI and graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a Bachelor of Science in Dance. Her dance training before college was 15 years at Accent on Dance in Waukesha, WI, as well as 4 years on her high school pom & dance team. She has taken class in, competed, and taught many styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, pom, contemporary, modern, and musical theatre. Rachel loves to travel and was grateful for an opportunity in 2023 to go to Paris and Dijon, France to learn more about dance history. There she performed and took dance classes at Conservatoire Jean-Phillipe Rameau. She has also performed in the adjudicated and informal concerts at the American College Dance Association in 2022-2024. Along with dance she also has a passion for strength & conditioning, Pilates, yoga, and music! Rachel currently teaches, choreographs, and performs in the Twin Cities area.
Sam Nash
Instructor
Sam has been dancing ever since she can remember. As a young child, her love for dance became apparent very quick. Dance was her outlet and safe haven, so it’s not a surprise that Sam continued her passion for dance throughout her adolescence. From being the Skipperette dance team captain at Minnetonka High School, to competing through her local dance studio, dance has always held a special place in her heart. As a regular sub, at IDS, Sam is looking forward to being an instructor this fall. She is extremely excited to get back into the sport and art that is dance!
Connie Liker
Instructor
Connie has been dancing for almost 20 years, and teaching in some capacity for the past 5 years. She has taught dance at Inspire and Footnotes dance studio in Morris Minnesota, and worked at Step n Stretch in high school. She has degrees in Anthropology and Environmental Studies, and currently works for an MN-based nonprofit! Her favorite styles include tap, jazz, and lyrical. Connie is very passionate about providing a fun environment for learning and is very excited to be on the Inspire team this year. Outside of dance, Connie likes to hang out with friends, family, and wants to get her private pilots license!